Hi Karsci, You’re very welcome. Letters like this mean a lot. Not just to me and my team, but to the many individuals and companies who support mikeroweWORKS. Without their help, we couldn’t have assisted you, and I know the people who support my program appreciate hearing from people who have benefited from it.   I admire the fact that you changed direction when you realized college was not for you. Too many who come to that realization "stay the course," and while that always sounds like good advice, it often is not. Staying the course only makes sense if you're headed in the right direction. I'm glad you course corrected before you wound up in debt for a credential you don't need. I admire the fact that you went to Florida for a year, when you didn’t really want to. Success in life is not rooted in doing what you want to do - at least, not right away. I'm glad you had the good sense to follow the opportunity where it took you, and I’m glad it paid off. I’m not a betting man (at least, not in the traditional fashion), but Id wager you’re going to do great things with your work ethic.   Most of all, I love that you credited one of your teachers, Tom Stroot, and I love that Mr. Stroot had the good sense to direct you to mikeroweWORKS: bit.ly/ApplyForAWorkEthicSch…. This year, well award $10 million in scholarships to students like you, and teachers like Mr. Stroot are a big part of why we continue to grow. Please give him my regards, and my thanks. We need more teachers like him.   Finally, Im privileged to receive many letters like this, but until now, none has ever inspired me to write a specific commercial for our scholarship program. But your letter, along with the photo of you welding, has. I'm not a welder myself, but I know good work when I see it, and you clearly know what you're doing. The ad is called The Man Behind the Mask. It's currently running online in several states, in conjunction with our partnership with @BuildFreedomUS, where you can find thousands of opportunities, just like the one you chased down. I hope it inspires others to follow your example. bit.ly/TWIHIxBuildFreedom Good luck, Karcsi, and thanks for checking in. Keep me posted.

As promised, here are the names of the first round of work ethic scholarship recipients. If your name is on the list, congratulations. If your name is not on the list, please apply again. We're still accepting applications.   We awarded 322 work ethic scholarships in the first of four rounds this year, for a total of $3 million. As always, scholarship awards varied, ranging from $500 to $34,000, with an average award of $9,100.00. This batch of recipients are collectively pursuing 23 different skilled trades in 45 states. Our goal is to award a total $10 million in scholarships this year, and thanks to our sponsors, we have the funds to make that happen. That doesn’t mean we’ll award the full $10 million. Despite the pressing need for skills tradespeople nationwide, our program is still rooted in work ethic, and we don’t grade on a curve. Truth is, we could lower our standards and give the money away a lot faster, but that’s not how it works here. The application process and the requirements therein are not negotiable, and I remain very stingy with the money we raise from our many sponsors.   Speaking of which, a big thanks to our benefactors.   Build Freedom Wells Fargo Fisher Global Foundation Ferguson Cares PureTalk J&K Trash Removal Folds of Honor Berens Foundation Google Montana Knife Company Software Engineering of America Ford Philanthropy BlackRock James & Shirley Rippey Family Foundation Lockheed Martin Suffolk Care Charitable Foundation Turbine X Energy Aligned Data Centers Coign Grady Family Foundation Paul Mitchell Schools   And most of all, to the people on this page—many of whom have supported us for over a decade through a variety of auctions and fundraisers—and the many others who prefer to keep their support anonymous. My foundation wouldn’t exist without you.   Finally, a big thanks to my team. The foundation itself only has only two full-time employees. Everyone else in my company volunteers their time, and this year, they have once again gone above and beyond the call of duty. Mary, Jade, Chuck, Shari, Jennifer, Paige, Libby, Logan, Noah, Charlie, Kristi…thank you all, very much. Now, back to work!

Profoundly Disconnected, Part 3 Brenda Pfarr writes…Why are people here calling Corey Zach? We know why Mike called Corey Matt, but … well actually no one knows that, really. But where did Zach come from? Tiffany Rizer responds…Brenda Pfarr check the edit history. He said "Zach," and then edited it to "Corey." So not only did he get his name wrong as "Matt," he then got it wrong as "Zach" and had to go in and change it to Corey. HAHAHA! Ladies, I’m sorry to say that Tiffany is correct. I screwed up not once, but twice. I have no excuse, but if I were to make one, I suppose I’d blame this enormous check for $10 million dollars, made out to my foundation, which I was pleased to accept yesterday morning. This check was the reason for my trip to DC, and the subject of my conversation with Mary when I left my phone in the crapper four days ago. It’s not every day that my foundation receives a check this large, and I was somewhat distracted by the prospect of accepting it, especially in The Hall of Heros at The Pentagon, where I can be seen in the attached photo beaming with a rare mix of gratitude and humility. Truth is, this check has been distracting me all week. Not only did it cause me to abandon my phone in a public toilet moments before takeoff and then repeatedly misidentify the man who returned it to me, it will probably cause me to misidentify the people presenting me with this generous donation. Three genuine patriots, who I will now attempt to properly thank. To my right, The Honorable Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. To my left, The Honorable Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy. And to his left, Dr. Kristin Schaaf Director of Programs for Warfighting Investments, Resourcing, and Execution. Together, these individuals have spearheaded a long overdue initiative to reinvigorate the skilled trades. The initiative is called @BuildFreedomUS and I am proud to support their efforts, just as they are supporting mine. In short, Build Freedom is both an online resource for job seekers, and a public awareness campaign designed to shine a light on hundreds of thousands of AI-Proof, six-figure jobs currently open in the defense industrial base. These jobs can be found at BuildFreedom.US, along with work ethic scholarships from The Mike Rowe Works Foundation. bit.ly/BuildFreedomUS If you’ve followed my exploits since the Dirty Jobs days, you know that I pitched a similar campaign to Congress in 2011. Back then, the skills gap was wide and getting wider, and I was worried that our workforce was headed for a colossal imbalance. Well, sixteen years later, the government got back to me! And frankly, not a moment too soon. Hundreds of thousands of essential jobs are waiting to be filled, and the DoW is now taking affirmative steps to reinvigorate the skilled trades on a national level. I’m glad they are, and I’m happy to help them spread the word. I’ll have lots more to say about Build Freedom in the coming weeks and months, and if you live in Texas, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you’ll likely be seeing me all over the place. With luck, the campaign will spread quickly, and the scholarship money I’ve just deposited will be quickly spent and replenished, as we train the next generation of skilled workers our country so urgently needs. It really is an honor to participate in this endeavor, and I want to thank the people in the photo one more time, especially Aliscia Andrews and Matt Draper, who will bear the daily brunt of making Build Freedom a national success. Closing the skills gap is now a matter of national security, and this administration is the first to accept my offer to help make that a reality. Good luck to you all, and Happy Independence Day. (And by “you all,” I include Matt/Zach/Corey, for his/their role in getting me to the Pentagon in time to accept this check. Whatever your name really is, I couldn’t have done it without you.) Carry on, Mike